Dark Days
by Swamp Dragon Princess
Summary: In an apocalyptic Hyrule, where Zelda has been missing for months following her research on a deadly zombie virus that threatens to wipe out the kingdom, leaving Link to care for their young son whilst leading a rag-tag band of survivors. In the midst of his despair, two mercenaries show up offering hope and a solution to our hero. AU, multi-genre, many characters and plot twists.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Sanctuary

**A/N: Right so this is my brand new story which is kind of AU- set in a post-apocalyptic zombie world, possibly post TP since there are mainly characters from there turning up, although I won't exclude some other familiar names might crop up later on. I should also probably point out right now that there will be character death (or deaths!) later on. This is still a work in progress but I just got so excited about it that I put everything else on hold to get the first chapter up. Anyways, enjoy, more A/N at the bottom.**

**Oh yes and the usual disclaimer applies: I don't own LoZ or any characters etc.**

The grimy and battered old monitor hummed into life, casting its' effervescent glow across the darkened room as the screen lit up.

The image of a woman appeared. She was a larger figured busty woman with dark skin and chestnut hair pulled into a tight, high pony tail, revealing glowing yellow eyes and a distinctive pointed nose upon her care-worn face. From her long ears hung several sets of heavy black earrings and her cheeks bore the tattooed freckles that were the customary trademark of her dwindling tribe.

"This is Telma, of the Kakariko Resistance" the woman said in a low drawl. "Please, if anyone is alive out there, make contact on this frequency"

A subtext appeared across the screen giving the radio frequency that she and her organisation could be reached on.

"If you be uninfected, please, make for the village of Kakariko, we will find you…..we can help you, you have nothing to fear from us, please…"

The woman's face hung in silence for a few moments longer as the message drew to a close, her face fixated in a silent, tearless plea to any that might still be wandering the goddess-forsaken lands.

_May the three watch over them….._

Link trudged up to the heavy metal fence that surrounded the sanctuary, pausing every now and then to check carefully around him. He was often followed, but it was not the thought of simply being pursued that bothered him; it was the thought of a possible ambush.

The monsters that now dwelled in the land that was once Hyrule were no longer simply the bulblins, lizalfos and helmasaurs, although they still were around and all too happy to make their presence known. The monsters now posing the biggest threat were the infected; the mindless, animated souls of the former citizens of a once great kingdom.

He stepped up to the metal fence, checking around once more, before tapping in the eight digit code into the security keypad that hung to one side of the main gate. The electronic module emitted a loud buzz and Link pulled the gate open and stepped through.

Now for the part he hated most; he pulled off the heavy, steel reinforced boots and lifted the hems of his leggings whilst pulling down his thick socks so inspect his calves. The chill wind hit his hot, damp skin, instantly sending a trail of goose bumps up his legs, but this part was absolutely necessary. Link was checking his skin for the presence of tektites, the tiny robotic spiders that carried the virus, infecting their victims by burying themselves under their host's skin. This virus, manufactured artificially by the GANON Corporation, was responsible for the state that the land of Hyrule now found itself in; dark, powerless and poisoned.

Link sighed in relief as he found none of the distinctive scratch marks on his skin. He pushed back his displaced leggings and socks to once more cover the skin that saw less and less of the sun than he would have liked, and pulled his boots back on, not bothering this time to do up the straps.

Walking up to the thick, iron inner door, Link pulled a heavy red lever that stood fixed to the wall alongside it. The lever snapped back into position as soon as he released it, and a radio intercom crackled into life.

"Link? Is that you hun?" a low female voice cooed out of the metal mesh.

"Telma, you know it is, you can see me right?" Link answered impatiently.

"No, the monitor has been knocked out again"

Link sighed heavily; third time in less than a week that had happened. He had no idea who or what was doing it, but it annoyed the hell out of him, and, right now, he had bigger problems to deal with. He certainly didn't need to be wasting time reconnecting cables atop a corrugated iron roof.

"Telma" he called back through the receiver, "just let me in already. I'll fix it later"

The iron door emitted three harsh beeps from within, signalling that it was unlocked for the next ten seconds. Link grunted as he struggled against the weight of the handle.

It was a pain in the ass to open this thing every day, but unfortunately it was necessary. Link slipped inside the small gap he managed to open for himself, leaving the dark clouds of Hyrule field behind him.

Inside, the bunker was not exactly warm, but it was damn sight more comfortable than outside. The howling wind and incoming rain could not be heard through the dense concrete walls, and were instead replaced with the dull echo of the air filters and sounds of life from deep within the secure compound. Link removed his gloves and unclipped his constrictive armoured jacket, hanging it on a set of nearby pegs before stretching out and cracking his broad, muscular shoulders.

_Damn that feels better._

Link stood there for a moment leaning up against the cold wall, still wearing the armoured pants and undershirt whilst he allowed the feeling to return back to his numb arms. The ache he felt was the result of the cold eternal winter that the land he called home was now suffocating slowly under, that and that damned jacket, thick and leathery with strategically placed metal guards. It had been made especially for him by Barnes, and was designed to be a snug fit for protection. Unfortunately for Link, this protection came with limitation on movement.

He stood back up straight and shook his hands lightly, in an effort to return the flow of blood to his calloused fingers, before setting about removing his boots and pants. Everything he wore seemed to become heavier with each passing day; the boots, the coat, even the gloves; but none of the items nor equipment he carried compared to the weight in his heart.

The air around him grew suddenly warm and gusted upwards towards the ventilation shafts, signalling that somewhere, down the metal staircase in the underground portion of the sanctuary, a door had been opened. Link leaned in over the handrail, and sure enough, a long rectangle of light cast itself on to the shadowy floor of the landing below. From somewhere down in the darkness, a small voice called up, carrying well up to Link's acute ears.

"Daddy, you're home" Tael squeaked.

Downstairs, Link scooped up the little child into his strong arms and twirled him playfully though the air above his head. The little boy squealed with glee, the delight spread across his angelic little face and his small legs kicking wildly in childish joy.

Link brought his son back down to his chest where he quickly found two little arms wrapped affectionately around his neck.

"Daddy, did you find Mommy yet?" Tael asked.

"Not yet my sweet" Link answered gently, "But don't you worry, Daddy, will find her soon"

Tael buried his face in his father's warm neck, soaking up the familiar musky scent. He missed the smell and warmth of his mother bitterly, but never cried over her disappearance; to stay strong for his Daddy, trying his best to help in the only way he knew how.

The sentiment of the tender moment was abruptly broken by the touch of a warm hand on Link's shoulder.

"Come on Tael, let your father rest now and have some food, that's a good little 'un, run along now"

Link set the child down who happily scampered off and turned to face the source of the voice, which he knew well.

"Telma" he cried, "what's the report"

Telma gestured her hand over to the other side of the mess hall, inviting Link to walk over in the direction of her workstation, an old wooden desk that was laden with beaten up, corroding computer equipment, radios and bits and pieces of all sorts of gizmos and gadgets.

Telma followed him over, signalling a young boy on the way over to fetch Link some food.

"Lots of action today, although not much that I could really make out unfortunately. Although, it shows that there are still plenty of us out there, Link"

Link looked at her doubtfully, making Telma roll her eyes at him.

"Come now Link, we can't start thinking like that now. Just think of all those we've rescued; why, there must be over fifty of us down here now"

"Fifty-seven" Link added glumly, "but the more we add to our numbers, the greater the strain we put on our own resources, Telma"

Link looked up at the tall Gerudo woman, his icy blue stare piercing through to her soul.

"Link" she began softly, placing her hand on his shoulder, "I know these past few months have been hard on you and Tael, but look at him"

Link glanced over to his son, who was merrily immersed in some kind of version of catch with a few playmates; the kind of game with complicated rules and variations that only children seem able to come up with on the spot.

"He has Zelda's strength" she continued, "And so must you, at least for his sake"

Link nodded at the Gerudo; he knew she was right, but things just didn't seem to be going their way of late, at least not in his eyes. A few people that he'd helped to rescue from the blight of the land had decided to abandon the stronghold and make off with as many provisions as they could carry just a couple of weeks earlier, that and the continuous damage that occurred to the external cabling. But the heaviest weight on Link's heart was the fact that his search for his wife was going nowhere. He'd scoured the lands within half a day's walking distance, and appealed to all that crossed his path for any news of her whereabouts, but to no avail. The heavy truth was that if she was out there, he was going to have to leave the compound for goddess knows how long to get to her; and that meant leaving the resistance without one of its' foremost leaders, and chief strategist, not to mention leaving his son.

Link was interrupted from his trance by a gentle nudge at his elbow. It was the young lad; Malachi, whom Telma had sent to fetch Link his dinner. Taking the metal dish, he thankfully sat down next to Telma's desk where she sat fiddling with some of the radio dials.

"Here, take a listen to this" she said, "this should perk your spirits up a bit"

Link paused his chewing to listen carefully to the recording that Telma had taken earlier. It was heavily crackled, but out of the fuzz Link could just make out a woman's voice. At first, his heart leapt.

_Zelda?!_

"H-h-hello? Can anyone….h-hello?" the recorded voice said.

Link heard Telma's voice come into the recording.

"Yes, hello, we read you"

"Hello…..my name is M…where are nearby, and should r…s evening"

The voice over the message dipped in and out of clarity. Telma's voice chipped back in.

"Hello? You're breaking up, please, can you confirm how many of you and if you are free from infection?"

"Yes, we are clean, there's just t…."

The recording fuzzed out to distorted sounds before fading entirely to static.

Link looked at her expectantly.

"What was I supposed to glean from that?"

"Sorry, it didn't record terribly well, but I'm pretty sure she said there are two of them, and they're both clean"

Link frowned, unimpressed.

"So two more mouths to feed on their way then, huh?"

"That's not the good part" Telma smiled. She was going to enjoy this, she couldn't wait to see the reaction on his face.

"About half an hour later, I got the woman back on the radio, a little clearer this time, only I didn't get the chance to record it….and get this; she told me she'd seen your Zelda!"

Link choked on his mouthful of food. He jumped up, coughing and spluttering globs of stew and bread all over Telma before he finally found his breath.

"Zelda! Are you sure that's what she said?"

"Well she didn't say it was Zelda exactly…."

Link's pounding heart sank.

"But..."she continued, "she did say she got the radio frequency from a blonde woman a few months ago. Seriously Link, wake up! Who else could it possibly be?"

Telma placed her hands on Link's shoulders, jolting him slightly, as if trying to shake some sense into him. Link's face was pale, but his heart was hammering. He looked back to Telma, nodding slowly.

"When do they arrive?" he asked tentatively.

"This evening, they should be here in a couple of hours, so why don't you get yourself cleaned up, put that little angel to bed and then meet me back here at eight"

Link could barely contain his excitement. After months of searching and despairing, hiding the truth from his only child, he was finally about to get a clue as to what had happened to his beloved wife. He was trying not to get too worked up over the news, after all, it could all lead to nothing. The blonde woman could have been anyone, and even if it were Zelda, this potential sighting was months ago. But then again it could give him the clue he needed to start searching for her beyond the immediate area of the compound; he would have some idea what direction Zelda had headed, so that was a start!

Link gazed lovingly over at Tael, sound asleep on his little cot, his thumb stuck firmly in his mouth whilst making little suckling noises in his sleep. He looked perfectly angelic! He had his father's bright blue eyes and sweet little nose, and his hair was beginning to form the signature bangs around his forehead that Link himself was known for. However, he also had inherited Zelda's warm smile and kind temperament.

Link knelt down beside his sleeping son and kissed him gently on the forehead.

_Goodnight my sweet, Father will be back soon._

Link had actually toyed with the notion of telling Tael this newest piece of information, but decided against it. There was too high a chance that all this could turn out nothing new. At barely four years old, Tael was far too young to cope with that kind of heartbreak. No, Link had decided; that so long as there was the faintest chance Zelda was still alive, Tael must never give up hoping, not until she was back safe with her family.

"Nice of you to join me, Link" Telma laughed, as Link pulled himself through the hatchway that led to the lookout post.

"Sorry Telma, I just wanted to sit with Tael a little longer, in case he woke up"

"Out for the count is he?"

"Yeah….So any sign of our newcomers yet?"

"See for yourself" Telma smiled, handing him her binoculars.

Link steadied himself on the rickety flooring and peered out across the plain towards the gorge. He spotted two figures on the bridge, walking slowly in their direction. Link lowered the binoculars and squinted with his naked eyes towards the pair, then put the binoculars back to his eyes.

"That them?" he asked.

"I don't see who else it could be?" came Telma's frank reply.

"Doesn't look much like a woman to me"

"I know, but you can't tell from appearances Link, especially at this distance"

"Very well" he sighed, "Light the beacon and make sure there's some food ready, they're still probably half an hour away at least"

Link lowered himself back through the hatch and Telma glanced back over towards the approaching figures in the distance. It was true what she'd said, as from her viewpoint, it looked like they both wore similar garb to Link when he left the compound, all armoured and leathery, moving stiffly against restricted clothing. There was no way to tell either gender or race from this distance, let alone whether or not they carried any sign of infection.

Telma left the watchtower and joined Link in the mess hall, where he was discussing the latest developments with three of the commandants of the resistance.

"Rusl, please keep watch on the main gate, we have visitors approaching. They should not reach us for approximately thirty minutes, but please look out for any potential attacks on them" he ordered.

"Yes sir" nodded a bearded man in his late thirties; Rusl, "Shall I alert you when they arrive sir"

"Please" Link replied, before turning to the shorter man opposite him. "Barnes, do you have any idea what happened to the video monitor outside?"

"No sir" replied Barnes, "Could be some guays perhaps, although I didn't notice any lurking around when I did the perimeter check this morning, so who knows"

"Right, well we'll need to get that repaired first thing in the morning, if there's any infected skulking around, I want to know about it before they reach the interior wall"

"Yes sir, righto sir" Barnes chirped. Link turned to Renado, the last man, and the founder of the sanctuary compound that had become their salvation in these dark times.

"Renado, have we managed to restock since last week?"

"No Link, I'm afraid not. Very little grows on these sunless days, the cuccos do not lay as often as we would like and even our supplies of cured bulbo are beginning to run low"

Link's face crumpled; this wasn't the news he needed to hear, not when newcomers were literally at their door. They would need to go on another hunt soon, and hopefully find some fresh food supplies on the way. Although there was a reasonable supply of canned foods in the larder, Link hated to see the children living in the sanctuary go without basic necessities. It had been some weeks since they had tasted fresh milk, or any kind of fruit or vegetable that wasn't pulled out of a can. Still, they never complained, which only made Link want to try all the harder for them

Telma approached Link and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, sensing the worry and stress that burdened him.

"Link, why not take some rest and lie down. You've been up since dawn and these strangers will take some time yet to arrive, plus by the time they've removed their gear and had some food you could have an hour's sleep."

Link shook his head adamantly.

"No, I want to speak to them the moment they arrive"

It was clear to Telma that their leader was immovable on the subject.

"Well at least sit yourself down and let me make you some cocoa" she insisted.

Link looked up at the Gerudo woman with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Depends, are you going to make it with water out of the crappy instant stuff in a tin?

"Is there any other kind?" she laughed

Link smiled; at least there was always Telma's sense of humour to keep his spirits up.

Link was barely halfway through his watery cocoa when Rusl hurried up to him in the now quiet mess hall, where Link had slunk away to a bench in the corner. He sat, with both hands curled around the metal cup, absorbing the warmth that emanated from within the vessel, and both eyes fixed on the flickering lantern that sat on the table in front of him. When he heard his commandant's frantic footsteps he looked up in anticipation.

"Sir, they've just arrived" Rusl announced

Link leapt up, leaving his cocoa where it sat and rushed off eagerly towards the staircase.

_They had to know something about Zelda, they just have to!_

**A/N So what do you think so far? I'm not decided on the title, so if anyone comes up with anything better I'm open to suggestions, although you may want to wait until we get a little more into the story, and trust me, there will be a few twists. **

**So basically, so far, a virus has decimated a futuristic (sort of) Hyrule, in which Zelda has been missing for some time leaving Link to care for their young son as well as lead a rag-tag band of survivors. Possible resolution comes with the arrival of two characters who may hold some clue as to Zelda's whereabouts.**

**Who are they? (Clue's in the title folks) Where did they come from? More will be revealed in the next chapter!**

**Thanks for reading, please R and R! xxxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, I finally got around to the second chapter, I meant to do this on a weekly update, but the past few days have been...well...distracting (I blame dA). Anyway, our two mercenaries make their appearance in this chapter, and Link has a difficult choice to make- Enjoy!**

Chapter Two

Link sprinted three steps at a time up the steel, chequer plated steps to the little entrance area, leaving Rusl lagging far behind. His heart was in his throat and his mind already racing with which questions he should ask first.

The small room was dimly lit and only had Telma in it, but the door was open. Link squinted against the darkness as the two figures stepped gingerly inside, one supporting the other by the arm. Both of them was tall, a couple of inches on Link at least, and clad in the same kind of armour plated leather garb that Link often wore outside. One of the figures wore a thick woollen balaclava over their head, revealing only a pair of glinting green eyes, whilst the other wore a black scarf wound tightly round the face, and topped off with a brimmed hat.

The one with the scarf drew Link's attention the most; the green eyed one at least gave off the warmth of humanity and kindness, but the other; Link could only say he'd never seen the colour red appear so cold. The red –eyed individual was the one who was being supported by the other, draping his right arm over the shoulders of his companion. Both carried huge packs, which they dropped to the floor the moment the heavy door slammed shut behind them.

There was a brief moment of hush and unspoken tension in the compact room before Telma broke the silence.

"Glad you could make it" she said, smiling although slightly hesitant, clearly not knowing what to make of the strange new guests. Most newcomers arrived bedraggled, starving and grateful for the food and shelter. This was the first time anyone had simply strolled, or in one case limped into The Sanctuary.

"My name's Telma" the Gerudo woman went on, "and this here's Link." She nodded towards him. "Either of you need anything, come find either one of us"

Neither of the newcomers had barely moved let alone speak since they'd put down their packs, but the green-eyed one now moved an arm up towards their head and whipped off the balaclava, revealing a shining tumble of waist length fiery red head hair.

Link's mouth fell open as his eyes fell upon the woman that was the owner of the striking cascade of locks. Her green eyes glittered like emeralds cast upon the creamy silk that was her face, which lit up with a radiant smile when her gaze met with his.

She quickly extended a hand to shake his, quickly pulling off her glove as she did.

"So pleased to make your acquaintance, the name's Malun" she smiled.

"Mal-un?" Link answered, almost dementedly, his focus lost in her lilting voice and jade eyes.

Malun giggled slightly nervously and withdrew her hand.

"And this here's Diablo" she gestured towards the other figure, who still stood, unmoved from where Link's eyes had last left him.

"Diablo?" Telma chipped in, "rather odd name"

"Diablo Rylan Kane" the crimson-eyed figure finally spoke, pulling down the black scarf and removing the hat. "And since we're on it, what manner of names are Telma and Link?" he spat.

Link stepped back a little bit in surprise at the mild verbal assault, his eyes glaring at the stranger before him. If he'd had a weapon on him, for certain his hands would have been on it.

The stranger had a mane of raven-black hair that flopped down over his forehead and almost covered his blood red eyes, his skin was more pale than his companion's and his frosty temperament seemed to closely match the demeanour of his eyes.

"Now now Dark, settle down" Malun interjected before turning to their hosts, "Sorry about that, please take no notice of him, he's just grouchy cos he hasn't eaten all day and near on broke his ankle with those monsters out there"

"Monsters?" Telma exclaimed, darting a worried look to Link, "what kind exactly?"

"Oh, just some funny looking ones on all fours with some kind of armour plating on their heads. They were a bit stupid really, just charging all over the place, but one of them got lucky and took out his ankle"

Telma and Link sighed in relief.

_Just helmasaurs_

"Right then, now that we're all acquainted let's get some food into both of you" Telma sighed.

"Oh food won't be necessary for me" Malun replied, "I already ate"

"Oh, very well then, we'll get you something mister…Diablo was it?"

"Dark" the man replied in a low voice, "they just call me Dark"

Telma glanced over at Link, who could only shrug in reply.

"Very well then, Dark" Telma continued, "we'll get you fed then the medic can take a look at that ankle"

Dark managed to get himself down the metal steps with a surprising degree of agility considering he was effectively short of one foot. Even the moments when he did have to actually bear weight on both limbs he appeared to show no pain. For this very reason Link was shocked when he saw the state of the ankle when the man finally sat down and removed his boot.

His skin was purple from bruising, visibly throbbing and the joint itself swollen to at least twice normal size. Link winced just from looking at it, and yet the dark man before him appeared not to be affected at all.

Link pulled up another chair for Dark to rest his foot on whilst they waited for the medic and went to sit down himself, but then shot up again when he noticed that Malun was carrying both bags down the steps herself.

She dumped both bags on the floor at the bottom of the stairs before Link even had time to reach her.

"Ummm…sorry…I should've helped" he began, but was cut off by the fiery haired woman.

"Not to worry honey, they're not all as heavy as they seem"

"Are you sure you won't eat something?" he asked.

"I'm sure" she replied, glancing over Link's shoulder to her companion. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, it looks bad but the doc will be here any minute, he'll have him fixed up in no time"

At that moment Telma arrived, holding a metal bowl of the stew that everyone in the Sanctuary had been served that evening.

"Here we go" she said, handing the bowl to Dark, "The best stewed beef in Hyrule! Sorry it's not much, but should tide you over"

Dark took the bowl and quickly began wolfing down the hot meal, evident to all in the room that he had indeed been starving. It occurred to Link that Dark had gone hungry, whilst Malun insisted she'd been well fed, which implied that Dark had gone without so that his companion could eat.

_How very noble of him _Link thought a little bitterly.

"So are we gonna stand here gawping at this boy eat or did you have something you wanted to ask them Link?" Telma stated, interrupting Link from his reflections.

"Huh? Oh yeah, Malun, Telma mentioned something about a woman you got the radio frequency from?"

"Oh yeah, Tetra!" Malun cried, "She was a sweet girl"

Link's heart sank even lower than it ever had before, a feeling that was written all over his face.

"What's the matter honey?" Malun asked gently, putting one hand on Link's shoulder and bending her head slightly down to meet his gaze. She was shocked to see the teardrops beginning to prick his cerulean eyes.

"I…it's just…I thought you might've seen….someone else"

Malun lifted her eyes to look questioningly over to Dark who had been listening to the entire exchange and only shrugged slightly in response.

"Link" Malun continued after she returned her gaze to him, "I don't think Tetra was her real name"

Link looked up.

"What? How do you know?"

Dark put down his empty bowl and spoke up.

"No ID, no real background information, and a look of a frightened rabbit when I tried to question her about it" he stated bluntly.

Link felt his hopes rise up inside him again.

"Can you tell me what she looked like?" he asked hopefully.

Malun shrugged and cocked her head to one side.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, nice smile" she answered, "sorry, that's all I really remember, I guess that could still be just about anyone right?"

"Right" Link replied quietly.

"Of course there was always the locket" Dark added.

Link's face shot back up.

"Locket?" he exclaimed "what did that look like?"

Dark grinned, his gleaming white smile wide enough to reveal the tip of one fang in the corner of his mouth.

"Round and gold, with some weird circular pattern with sapphires, oh and a photo of some kid inside it"

"OH MY GODDESSES, THAT WAS ZELDA, IT WAS ZELDA"

Link was literally leaping up and down in joy. Malun laughed to see the young man so happy and Telma clapped her hands , her own laughter drowned out by Link's ecstatic screaming.

"Yeah, yeah, that's enough of that" Dark shouted at him.

Link calmed down a little, but only slightly. Tears now flowed freely down his cheeks and he clasped his hands together in gratitude to the pair.

"Is there anything else you can tell me? Was she okay? Where did you see her? Did she say where she was going?"

"Yes, North Hyrule Field and Lake Hylia" Dark answered, without missing a beat.

"Dark!" Malun scolded "For the love of Nayru, show some humanity"

Dark just rolled his eyes, not really taking much notice of the chastisement from his travelling companion.

"Sorry about him…er…again" Malun continued, speaking in a soft, gentle tone to Link, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I can see this woman means a lot to you. Your wife I presume?"

Link nodded slowly, every painful moment of the past six months visible in his trembling eyes.

"So young, the pair of you" Malun commented, "Don't worry, she looked to me like she knew what she was doing, I'm certain she's alive…Link"

Malun spoke his name with such sincerity and the slightest degree of hesitation that made Link look up into her emerald eyes. She was smiling. The type of smile that one can see without even looking at the mouth; the type that you cannot help but smile back into. Link couldn't help but wonder what a beautiful and kind hearted woman was doing with the likes of Dark; then again, it didn't appear that they were involved in that way.

But one can never be sure.

A loud cough suddenly echoed through the mess hall, interrupting the slightly syrupy moment as the medic entered the group. He was an ancient, emaciated, hunched fellow with thick, milk bottle glasses perched on the end of his hooked nose. A few tufts of snowy white hair remained on the back of his almost bald head and he carried the standard black doctor's kit which he plonked down on the floor next to Dark.

"Now then" he rattled, "let's take a gander at this foot"

He poked and prodded at it for a few minutes, making Link wince in sympathy for the Dark man. Occasionally, he asked Dark to try stretching it this way and that, with only the tiniest of twitches around his eyes giving the impression he was in any pain at all.

Finally the doctor stood up to his full four and a half feet of height and announced that the ankle was not broken, just a very bad sprain with some heavy bruising.

"You kids these days" the old man grumbled, "more rupees than common sense, and always looking for trouble"

Dark shot the old man a glare that made Link flinch into action; it was a look of a man about to throw a punch, luckily Malun saw it too. She leapt to her feet and put both hands on Dark's left arm.

"DO NOT….even…think about it" she hissed into his ear.

Whatever their situation, it was clear to Link that Malun exerted a good deal of influence and, dare he say, control over Dark.

Malun turned to the old man. "Is there anything else you can do to help things along?" she asked politely.

The old man appeared not to have even noticed the peril he was almost in as he rummaged in his black bag. He pulled out a small bottle with a viscous red liquid inside.

"Drink half now" he ordered "then the rest in the morning, an injury like this would normally take around ten days but you should be fine after three or four"

"Thank-you doctor" Malun smiled, taking the bottle.

The doctor muttered something more about the youth of today and various things not being the way they used to be and the other general kind of stuff that old people complain about as he shuffled away.

"Useless old codger" Dark muttered after the old man.

"Oh do shut up, Dark" Malun rolled her eyes at him, and turned to Link, "We've brought you a little something" she said, smiling.

Link had forgotten all about the huge bags they had each carried into the compound, and was so quite surprised when Malun lead him over to them by the hand and knelt down next to one.

"I can tell you're gonna like this" she grinned.

She unzipped the huge pack and a waterfall of fresh fruits and vegetables tumbled out across the floor. There was lettuce, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, apples, pears, peaches, tomatoes and cherries.

Link's eyes opened wide.

"Oh goddesses Malun this is wonderful" he beamed.

"Well, you know, I can tell how much you care about these people, and Telma mentioned you had a son, so…"

Link threw his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I don't know how to thank you enough" he whispered into her shoulder.

"Oh goodness" Malun replied, "then perhaps I shouldn't tell you there's milk in the other one"

Link was overwhelmed.

"How did you manage to come by all of this?" he asked.

"Oh, Dark has his ways" she replied slyly.

"Oh" Link said with a note of despondency, making Malun shoot him a quizzical look. "He must make you very happy" Link ventured.

"Happy? I'm not sure I know what you mean"

"You and him…you two are married? Or involved?"

"What? Oh no" Malun laughed, "I mean, we travel together, and he protects me, but that's it, I assure you"

Link breathed a sigh of relief, although he was not entirely sure why. Perhaps so Dark would have no grounds for jealousy that she'd dragged him off alone- he convinced himself.

"That's, umm, kind of him. How exactly did you two meet?" he asked.

"It was about a year ago, I was….in some danger"

Malun grimaced and shut her eyes tightly as what was clearly a painful memory came to her mind.

"I'm sorry Link, I just can't talk about it" she added, "But he saved me, and…well, I owe him my life and he doesn't even remind me about it"

Link was puzzled by Malun's account of Dark. She undoubtedly saw qualities in him that were not apparent on the surface, but according to her, he was evidently the saviour in a storm.

"I'm sorry to be so surprised" he said, "it's just he seems so…."

"Hostile? Distant? Tsundere? I know, but trust me, he's not all bad Link"

Link looked up at her as he heard her say his name again. He couldn't help it, he really liked the way she said it, just the way she was ever-so-slightly hesitant, and the way her tongue lingered over the L and the K. It just made him smile, and turn a little bit red.

Sometime later that night, after the fresh fruits and vegetable had been stored along with the milk, Link sat up talking with Dark, Malun and Telma.

"So you know she was heading to Lake Hylia?" Telma asked.

"Yup" Dark yawned, "She wanted to get there quickly, seems she'd been delayed by some kind of trouble, worse than what I found her in"

"What? I thought you said she was okay" exclaimed Link.

"She was, after I was through with her" Dark said with a smirk and a wink.

Link felt his blood boil and something foul tasting rise into his throat. He shot up to his feet with his fists clenched and a look of murder on his face. Both Telma and Malun leapt up alongside him to hold him back.

"Now Link, don't let him get under your skin" Telma told him.

"That's right, just ignore him" Malun added.

Link growled and slowly sank back down into his chair, never taking his eyes off Dark, who continued to smirk, not even having flinched at Link's threat.

"Zelda told us very little about what she was doing out there" Malun continued in place of Dark, who could obviously not be trusted to open his mouth. "But she said that she was on a mission of great importance, and she said she'd already been delayed by some kind of trouble. That's when we found her in the rocky foothills to the north, she'd already been attacked several times, but she'd always managed to remain unhurt."

Link rubbed his forehead sleepily.

"Right, so I need to go to Lake Hylia to find her then" he mumbled.

There followed a rather long silence, during which Dark and Malun both looked to Telma. They had each suspected Link would want to do something like this, but the responsibility for his safety, and that of The Sanctuary was not theirs.

"Link, " Telma answered presently, "Please think this through, think about Tael, and everyone else here. They all need you too"

Link only shook his head.

"I can't stay here, Telma; knowing Zelda's out there, maybe in trouble. I have to go find her, she'd do the same for me. Besides, I made a promise to my son that I'd find her"

Telma took a step forward and placed a hand gently on Link's arm.

"At least sleep on it, it's very late and we should get these two settled. It's been a long night and we can decide what's best in the morning"

**A/N:**

**Well, tell me what you think. You'll have noticed the spelling of Malon/Malun: there is a reason for it, I promise, and obviously Link and Dark are already at each other's throats. Please leave me a review, and I'll reply, unless you're very very very mean!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

**Last time:**

**Link shook his head.**

"**I can't stay here, Telma; knowing Zelda's out there, maybe in trouble. I have to go find her, she'd do the same for me. Besides, I made a promise to my son that I'd find her"**

Link stirred groggily as something warm and sweet smelling was poked into his nose.

"Wake up Daddy, I bringed you some pollidge" a small voice squeaked as it bounced around on his stomach.

Link weakly opened his eyes to find Tael sitting on him smiling brightly, holding a small blue bowl. He edged himself upright carefully, so as not to knock his son off the bed.

"Thank you my sweet" he said sleepily "You're up early aren't you?"

"No Daddy, you slept late, the funny man told me to come get you out of bed"

"Uh-huh" Link groaned. Tael often referred to Barnes as the 'funny man' because of the welding mask he usually wore.

His blue eyes rolled when he saw the clock on the shelf- ten thirty. He took the warm bowl from Tael's hands and began to eat.

"Mmmm, this porridge is better than the stuff Mr Barnes usually serves up, huh?" he smiled, ruffling Tael's sandy hair.

"No Daddy, it was the funny man, the one with the poorly leg"

Link stopped eating and froze, feeling the unswallowed food in his mouth loll around in his cheeks.

"The one with the dark hair and red eyes?" he asked tentatively.

Tael nodded, and Link felt his blood run cold. There was something, despite the good night's sleep doing wonders to ease his troubled mind, that still bothered him about that man, more than just his icy attitude, and he didn't like for one moment that he'd been anywhere near his son, let alone speaking to him.

Link glanced down suspiciously at the half eaten bowl of oats, the other mouthful still sitting uncomfortably inside his mouth. Eventually he reached for a dirty shirt on the floor and spat the food into it, before folding the discarded mouthful inside the cloth and placing it and the unfinished bowl on the table beside his bed. He was not about to take any chances with this stranger.

He dressed hastily and left the room without a word, with Tael following sharply behind.

Link found the dark man in the busy mess hall sitting at one of the trestle tables with his foot still propped up, one hand around the half empty potion bottle and a ceramic mug placed in front of him.

Upon seeing Link approach him a slow grin curled up on his pasty features. Link turned and knelt down to Tael who had skipped in behind him and placed his hand gently on his shoulder.

"Go and find your friends my sweet, Daddy will find you later"

Tael nodded and skipped off towards a small group of children playing in the corner of the mess hall. Link turned and frowned at Dark, who was still grinning from his seat at the table.

"I'm glad to see you got my wake-up call" he said with a slight laugh, as he began to lift the potion bottle to his lips.

Link reached the table and slammed his fist hard into the table, drawing the attention of everyone in the vicinity and causing a sudden hush to come over the crowded room.

Dark kept his hand still, but did not flinch. Instead he flicked his eyes around the room observantly before darting his gaze back up to Link's face, which was now shooting him a cold glare.

His slight smile expanded into a smirk.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. What's the matter, did I not make your breakfast just the way you like it?" he mocked.

Link's glare contorted into a full on snarl.

"Listen Kane" he hissed, lowering his head down towards Dark, "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I as far as I'm concerned, you haven't yet proven yourself to be on the same side as me, so until you get my say-so, you'll do what's best and stay the hell away from my son – YOU GOT THAT?"

Dark still did not flinch- in fact he looked to Link to be mildly amused at the outburst. He gently closed his eyes as he necked the last half of the red potion, upon which his face twisted up in revulsion as the foul-tasting liquid stung the back of his throat.

"Ugh! A thousand years and they still can't make this shit taste any better" he remarked, completely ignoring every word Link had said. Dark watched the man glaring down at him, carefully gauging his reactions, weighing him up to see what he would do next.

If Dark was surprised by what Link did next, it did not show.

Link lost his temper at that moment and reached across the table and grabbed a handful of Dark's shirt, just below the collar, before yanking him up rough and fast in a fit of rage, and paying no mind to the heavy scraping of the table as he dragged it across the floor. He growled as he brought Dark's face up to stare him in the eye, his eyebrows forked deeply and his teeth bared.

"Listen…YOU…. FREAK!" Link began snarling, his free hand clenched into a tight fist.

The smirk faded slowly from Dark's face, and was instead replaced by half lidded regard of contempt. He held Link's glare as he cut him off.

"You wanna try?" he whispered harshly, "against the man who can walk across plains filled with monsters for three days with no food or water, the man who can take a direct charge from a helmasaur and still walk away, you really think you'd stand a chance against me?"

Link loosened his grip a little, allowing Dark to raise his right hand to push Link's away from his shirt.

"That's what I thought" he added.

Link looked around him quickly as they both sank slowly back down to sit. If anyone nearby had been watching the confrontation, they were certainly pretending not to.

"Fine" Link hissed, "But I'm not done with you. I want to know everything"

Dark peacefully took a sip from the coffee that was in the ceramic mug, his composure completely intact.

"Where would you like me to start?" he asked softly, not taking his crimson eyes from the vessel in his hand.

"You can start by telling me exactly who you are"

Dark raised one eyebrow at Link's demand, but Link was unfazed.

"If you expect me to even think about trusting you or a word you say, I want to know who I'm dealing with" Link added.

Dark slowly placed the mug back on the table, having emptied it whilst Link was talking and released a small sigh.

"Rylan Kane, believe or not, _is_ my real name, the Gerudo tribe added the Diablo part when I was a kid"

"Gerudo?" Link replied.

Dark nodded.

"They took my mother and I in after my father abandoned us" Dark snorted at the memory. "The less said about him, the better. The Gerudo called me Diablo after I set fire to the stables when I was six"

Link's eyes widened.

"Accidentally" Dark added. "Anyways, I left there when I turned sixteen, after my mother died and I've pretty much been on my own ever since"

"So when the virus hit?" Link asked, still glaring, "Then what?"

"It's not actually that hard to avoid" Dark sneered, "You stay away from other people and it can't get you. Tektites are programmed to swarm towards large populations you know" he added sarcastically.

Link narrowed his eyes at the comment.

_How dare he patronise me!_

"You stay away from people out of preference as well as necessity it seems" Link retorted.

Dark arched his eyebrows.

"I suppose you could put it that way, yes"

"So what about Malun?"

"What about her?"

Link balled his fists and looked to the ceiling in exasperation.

"Why must you toy with me like this?"

"Why are you so interested?" Dark grinned

"I'm not….I mean….not like that…..I am married you know"

"So what? Your wife's not here, I'm not gonna tell her"

Link groaned heavily and dropped his chin to the table, covering his face with his hands. How was this man managing to twist his words this way? It was like he was inside his head, answering the questions he didn't even ask. He didn't even think about Malun that way…did he? Besides which, he was getting nowhere with his enquiries.

"Look" Link said eventually, rubbing his eyes, "All I was asking was why are you two travelling together if you don't want company"

"Oh, wouldn't you just like to know" Dark leered back, tracing the rim of the mug with his fingers.

"Do you have to make everything sound so sordid?"

"Have to? No Link, I don't, but I do certainly enjoy it" Dark said, grinning wickedly.

"Well I know you two aren't involved that way, she told me so herself" Link said triumphantly.

"Oh! So you are interested?"

Link sat back and sighed heavily, holding both hands up in surrender.

"I give up"

Telma and Rusl stood poring over the large map in the centre of the room as Link and Dark made their way over. Dark was still limping, but Link dared to think he would refuse his help even if he were to offer it. Telma, on the other hand, could always be counted on.

"Dark honey! What are you doing walking around on that? Link! Help him"

A sly smirk crept back on Dark's face, that Link couldn't help but feel that he was making an annoying habit of.

"It's fine Telma" Dark grinned, "it doesn't hurt much"

"So what's the plan Rusl?" Link sighed, trying to change the subject.

"Well according to what Dark and Malun told us," Rusl began, pointing to a mark he'd made on the map," This is where they encountered Zelda around two months ago, and you say she stayed with you around a week?"

"That's right" Dark answered, "We saw her as far as the plains of north Hyrule, she headed east for the Lake, whilst we turned south towards Castle Town"

"That would be the quickest way to the Lake wouldn't it Dark? Going right through the capital?" Dark turned to see Link was addressing him. The dark man stared at Link for a few moments before he responded.

"You're serious about this aren't you?" he asked.

"More than anything" Link replied.

"Do you have any idea what it's like out there? I mean, how long have you all been down here, hiding? Do you know how bad things have gotten? Cos personally I doubt you'd last five minutes out there"

Link sighed softly and shook his head.

"I don't care Dark, I'm doing this, with or without your help"

Dark narrowed his eyes and grunted softly at the young man standing resolutely before him.

"Fine" he said, "But let's get one thing straight, I don't wanna hear you say I didn't warn you. If you start to fall apart, mark my words I won't hesitate to leave you where you fall, and believe when I say if I come across that wife of yours, I _will_ tell her what kind of a loser she married."

Link was rather surprised that he didn't find the anger rise up in his throat at Dark's verbal assault and began to think that perhaps he was starting to get used to him. He nodded slowly, opting instead to humour Dark rather than challenge him. Telma walked up behind Link and tapped him gently on the shoulder.

"Link, are you certain about this?" she asked, repeating her concern from the night before. "I'm sure Dark is capable of carrying out any mission in your stead"

Link buried his forehead in his left hand, rubbing his temples with his thumb and middle fingers.

"No Telma, it has to be me. I'm the only one I know for sure will keep going right up until my last breath"

Telma nodded, understanding, but not truly accepting Link's choice. He might be beginning to accept Dark's abrupt and grating personality, but that didn't mean he had to trust him, even if Malun assured him he was decent underneath all that bravado and audacity.

Come to think of it…..

"Dark, where's Malun this morning?" Link asked.

"I thought you said you gave up on that"

Link huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Can we please not do this again! I just wanted her opinion that's all"

Dark snorted at Link ruining his fun.

"She slept late this morning, poor dear was exhausted" he stated, almost sardonically.

"I don't blame her" Link grinned, "After having to drag your ass across the plain yesterday"

Dark smirked right back at Link, his tongue curling up out of his mouth to lick his upper lip.

_So…he's finally beginning to bite back!_

**Sorry this one is a bit shorter and to be honest, after I did the part I really wanted to (the exchange between Link and Dark) I foundered a bit, so I decided not to drag it out. I want to get on to the next chapter, in which the search for Zelda begins!**

**Please continue to read and review, it really does make my day, especially if you comment on the dynamic between Dark and Link.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the long delay! Basically apart from block, I have no real excuse other than being distracted and lazy. Thanks for the follows and reviews, especially the guest review comparing Link and Dark to Legolas and Gimli! (not sure which is which) I am honoured! Funnily enough there's a sort of LOTR reference in this chapter! Cookie if anyone spots it. I think that was all I wanted to say for now...I promise the next chapter will come much quicker!**

Chapter 4

The woman flicked on the strip lighting in her dingy laboratory and walked briskly over to her workbench. She opened up her notebook and picked up her pen.

_Test 23: _

_Increased dosage of vaccine 25%_

The woman picked up a pre-prepared hypodermic syringe from a rack on the bench. Rolling up her sleeve, she pushed the needle through her pale skin and depressed the plunger, forcing the green fluid into her body; her eyes scrunching up slightly at the pain.

_Please, please, work this time._

The woman reached to one side for a small glass jar containing several tiny robotic devices. She opened it up using just the thumb and middle finger of the hand that held it and used her free hand to pick up one of the tiny robots with a pair of metal forceps. Re-closing the lid she replaced the jar on the bench and held up the tiny robot to the light.

_So strange, that such a small thing can cause so much damage_

The robot resembled a spider, except that it had a shiny steel exoskeleton, patterned with red and blue markings. Its' tiny legs wriggled and flailed against the grip of the forceps, futilely trying to find it's intended target.

The woman sighed and glanced at the bench, just to check she had her scalpel close to hand, lest things go…..awry.

She placed the tiny bug on her forearm, where is circled for a few seconds, before, all of a sudden, it's tiny legs began to dig under her skin! The woman felt no pain, not since the corporation had manufactured the critters to contain anaesthetic in their legs. She watched as she allowed the bug to wriggle around under her skin whilst she carefully counted the seconds.

_Five, Six, Seven, Eight….._

She bit her lower lip; time was running out.

_Please! Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen…..too long!_

The woman sighed and reached for the scalpel and plunged it tip first into the skin on top of the bump. Once it ceased its' wriggling she used the forceps to part the incision in her skin, forcing back her flesh so she could grip the tiny robot underneath. She lifted it out and looked at the device longingly.

_I only have a few of you left, how much more is it gonna take to kill you all._

The woman turned to her computer and tapped a few keys, making the monitor fuzz into a screen of static. Through the interference a garbled voice could be heard.

"Yes Agent One, how are the tests going?"

"Not good Professor, 25% still wasn't strong enough"

"Repeat the test again, just to be sure!"

"I can't, I only have a few more tektites left to test on"

"Increase dosage 15% then"

"Is that safe?"

"Just do it! Don't bother me again until you do!"

Two more days had passed since Dark and Malun had graced the Sanctuary with their presence and were now in the thick of making plans for their departure. Dark's ankle appeared to be healing well and with no other destination or plans to stay long term at the compound he seemed anxious to Link to be moving on again.

Link was reluctant to argue against his choice. He'd made no secret of the fact he didn't trust Dark, not as far as he could throw him, even if he seemed to be kind to Tael and Malun, and polite and respectful to Telma and the others. There was just something about the dark man that brought out the worst in him. Almost as if he was instantly under his skin.

As a result, Link found himself always on guard around Dark, which began to take its' toll as there are only so many places in the compound to be, even in one as large as the Sanctuary. Of course it didn't take Dark long to work out that Link wasn't about to start trusting him anytime soon, not that it bothered him as such. But if the guy was planning on coming along with him and Malun to trek across Hyrule, he was going to have to learn to cut him some slack.

_He trusts in Malun, that's something, at least._

Link could feel Dark's eyes on him, watching him closely, as he packed supplies of medicine and dried food into his back pack. He refused to look up, much less give Dark the satisfaction of seeing his irritable side. It was only when Dark started to chuckle softly that his impatience got the better of him.

"What!" Link snapped incredulously at the dark man, who stood with one foot angled against a stone pillar.

"I just thought it was funny, you the other day, asking about me and my life and didn't bother telling me your life story" Dark chuckled in reply.

Link huffed and returned his attention to packing.

"Well, you never asked" Link said, without looking up.

"Yeah, you just assumed I was gonna trust you. But that's how guys like you work I guess"

Link stopped what he was doing and looked up at Dark, forking his eyebrows at him.

"And what's that supposed to mean"

Dark dropped his foot and strode over to Link, towering over him, his grin fading slightly.

"People like you, I've seen your type all my life. You go round thinking you're better than everyone else and act like everyone's supposed to revere you, like we all owe you a debt of gratitude that we're allowed to walk in your presence and breathe the same air"

Had it not been for Dark's grinning Link might've believed in his words. But he had begun to understand, this was just another test- Dark's way of sizing him up, trying to work out how Link would handle himself if things got tough.

"Fair enough" Link said reluctantly, "But there's not really much to tell about my life, and it's certainly not as privileged as you seem to believe"

"Humour me" Dark said sarcastically.

"Well, I never knew either of my parents, I grew up in an orphanage in Ordon, left there at sixteen, met Zelda when I was working for Telma, married by nineteen, Tael arrived a year later and well, that's it."

Link looked up at Dark when he didn't hear a response after a few seconds, no sarcasm, no put-downs, not even a slight laugh. He was just standing there with crossed arms and staring into the space between them, biting his lip slightly, as if he were mulling something over in his mind.

He shook his head slightly when Tael's squeaky voice permeated the tension, chasing whatever stray thought it was from his mind.

"Daddy! I thought you'd gone without saying bye to me"

Link stopped what he was doing and hugged Tael tightly.

"No, my sweet, I would never do that" Link whispered into Tael's cheek. He pulled away from his son and cupped his cheeks with his hands, trying to make sure Tael was listening.

"Daddy's going out to find Mommy, you know that right?"

Tael nodded silently.

"I don't know how long it'll take but I promise you….I will come back"

There had been no tears from the four year old, only the solemn expression of understanding that no child his age should be forced to wear. Dark only stood back, watching the farewell embrace, with a curious sort of look on his face. He'd never really had to say goodbye to anyone he cared about. The only person who'd ever left him was his father, and he was too young then to remember anyway. Of course, there was still his mother…..that had stung, but he'd just sucked it up and swallowed the hurt down, until he couldn't feel it anymore.

"You all set to go?" Dark ventured after a little while. Link turned his head up to Dark and nodded. The blonde man looked on the brink of crying, but for once Dark took the option of deciding not to mention it.

"Right, I'll fetch Malun"

"Mister Dark?"

Dark glanced down at the little blonde boy, rather startled that he'd addressed him at all, let alone so formally. He quickly looked at Link, remembering to check he had Link's approval to engage in conversation with his son. Link gave a quick nod and Dark knelt down so he was face to face with Tael.

"What can I do for you Tael"

"Make sure my Mom and Dad come back okay"

Dark grinned a little bit. "Don't worry kid" he said, "Your Dad's the persistent type, I don't think I'll be able to get rid of him very easily"

Tael giggled and hugged Link's leg, just as Rusl, Telma, Barnes and Renado came in to escort Link up to the hatch.

"Malun's already up there waiting for y'all" Barnes stated.

Link zipped up his pack and slung it over his shoulder before giving Tael one last quick squeeze.

"Remember to do everything Telma asks, make sure you eat all your food and brush your teeth" Link fussed over him.

Standing back up and giving his only child one last loving glance he turned and walked out of the mess hall towards the metal staircase, followed closely by Dark, Rusl and Renado.

"You have my orders?" Link asked Renado, as he finished strapping on his heavy protective boots.

"Yes Link, we'll remain on standby for your instructions"

Link nodded and turned to check on Dark and Malun, who both stood ready and waiting to head out, already in their armoured gear.

"I guess this is it then?" Link sighed, placing one hand on Renado's shoulder. "Take care Renado, take care of everyone for me"

"And take care of yourself" the older man replied, "And you!" Renado turned to address Dark sternly. "Anything happens to Link, or the young lady here, I'll be holding you responsible"

Dark flashed a slightly daring grin, but did not actually say anything. The old man seemed pretty sincere in his threat, and Dark was fairly certain the old geezer still had some fight in him.

Rusl unbolted and pulled open the heavy door, exposing the harsh environment outside. Link allowed Dark and Malun to step through first and gave Rusl a farewell pat on the shoulder before stepping through into the howling winds.

The gales ripped through the valley, mercilessly pulling large chunks of boulder from the ancient mountains that surrounded the former village on either side. The old town of Kakariko, that had stood, unmarred by the passage of time for centuries, now ravaged and ruined within a few short months when the virus hit.

"We have to move fast and get out of this valley….before we get crushed" Dark yelled, trying to outmatch the sound of the wind in volume.

Link and Malun glanced at each other from under their masked faces and followed Dark, who seemed to take the natural lead.

The walk down the narrow passage that lead out of the valley was a treacherous one, that took almost two hours. As the walls narrowed the walk became easier, since the force of the wind was not so strong against them, but there was also far less chance of escape if any boulders should come tumbling down on them. At several points during the trek through the gully they had to stop dead in their tracks, or bolt as fast as they could to dodge the rocks that came tumbling down from above. Fortunately though, the wind storm seemed to have driven away any monsters, for now at least. Dark was glad of that. Despite his rather fortunate escape he was not planning on tangling with any helmasaurs again anytime soon.

As they approached the opening on to Hyrule Field, the winds appeared to die down significantly, enough even to remove their masks.

Link gasped as he yanked down the stifling black fabric protecting his nose and mouth, relieved to be finally breathing the fresh air. This was about as far as he went on a normal day, just a couple of hours walk. He had trekked a little further afield, but had always turned back in plenty of time to make it back before sundown. Sleeping out here was unthinkable for most people back in the compound, but Dark had insisted they would be quite safe.

"We'll follow the line of hills to the north for a couple more hours" Dark said, "That way we'll be about halfway to Castle Town before sunset"

Link groaned, crouching over to rest his hands on his knees. "Can't we rest up a little first, that was one hell of a hike" Dark scowled at him.

"Going soft on me already?" he sneered.

Link scowled back and shook his head. "I just think we should give Malun the chance to rest up"

"She's fine" Dark snapped, without so much as looking at the girl, "We keep moving"

Link groaned again and glanced at Malun who was smiling weakly at him as they moved off again, with Dark marching a couple of meters ahead.

"Thanks for trying to take care of me Link" Malun said, "But it's really not necessary, I'm tougher than I look"

"I don't doubt that Malun" Link replied quietly, still liking the way she said his name, "But to be truthful, I just wanted to stop for a bit….it's been…..a tough day in more ways than one"

"I can tell" Malun said.

"Do me a favour Malun, don't tell Dark I said that"


End file.
